Mollie T. Cox, Author at 100 Words

Staying in Touch (Reprise)

February 1st, 2025
Mollie T. Cox

During Covid-19, my husband and I needed ways to connect with members of our isolated church family that did not involve physical contact. When we were physically apart due to travel, I sent tourist postcards. Those wouldn’t work this time.

While my sons were at college, Pictures of the Day (POTD) kept our immediate family connected. (See here.) Why not expand the POTD to our church family?

Printing and sending photos were time-consuming, but more interesting than writing letters when there was little news to share.

The first photos I sent during Covid-19 were of the woodpeckers, jays, cardinals, and chickadees that visited the feeder on my deck.

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.
Ansel Adams

I appreciated my backyard more because of the response I received. I saw my surroundings through the lens of those who didn’t have the view I did.

I also gained a permanent communication tool. Eventually photos were mailed to extended family. Five years later, my ninety-year-old aunt eagerly awaits the next batch.

How did you stay in touch during Covid-19?

Relationships

Staying in Touch

January 25th, 2025
Mollie T. Cox

A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than for other people.
Thomas Mann 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature

According to the definition above, I am a writer. So, what’s a writer to do when she has people she wants to stay in touch with? Or express her affection? Or her concern? And she has enough regrets over unwritten letters. (See here.)

Steal from others.

Don’t worry. This theft is legal. There’s even a book with encouragement that I highly recommend. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.

I copy uncopyrighted poems and lyrics. I recycle the fronts of greeting cards. I pilfer old calendars. I clip cartoons. All are better expressed and more interesting than my words.

I trust my friends so know my heart. It’s not a lazy exercise. Some days it’s quite time consuming to find the right item, but in a world of drifting away, the words and art of others are my lifeline.

Thank you, friends, for the ways you stay in touch with me.

Friendship, Priorities, Relationships

Goodbye, Dear Friend

January 19th, 2025
Mollie T. Cox

When people die, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to give them up.
C.A. Belmond

The photo is blurry. The memory is clear.

Why do I cherish a dark, blurry photo?

Because the photo was taken in the middle of a heartfelt conversation with my dear friend. I still hold a slight grudge against the person who interrupted us that morning and took the photo.

Kathleen and I corresponded for years before we met in person—two days prior to this photo. She and her husband traveled over 300 miles to be at a major event in my life. Why? Because that’s what friends do, even if you only know each other through an online book group.

I communicated with Kathleen regularly. However, her name had been on my “to write” list since her husband passed in October. I wanted to write the perfect remembrance and the perfect Christmas thank you note. I trust Kathleen knew my heart because she won’t receive those words. I woke on Saturday to the news of her unexpected passing.

So, let’s all agree to say the imperfect words while we still have time.

Grief is the price we pay for love. Queen Elizabeth II

God's Faithfulness

Living Outside My Comfort Zone

January 11th, 2025
Mollie T. Cox

All growth starts at the end of your comfort zone.
Tony Robbins, Author

I don’t know about growth, but along the way I learned that comfort awaits me at the end of my comfort zone.

It seems like I spend most of my time outside my comfort zone, but I’m not forced. I get myself into it.

Within hours of learning that my grandfather was lingering in a hospital, I flew to his side and sat with him minutes before his death. I despised both flying and leaving my small children, but I was blessed.

I volunteered to fly to Brazil and care for four small children for two weeks while my cousin sought medical treatment in Texas, and her husband worked during the day. I didn’t speak Portuguese or know anything about Ipanema. Two years later, my husband returned with me because I wanted him to experience the culture and natural beauty I found.

I didn’t want to testify in a court of law, but I volunteered because I loved the victim, and I knew I was needed. I received peace in the process and the joy of participating in victory.

And comfort through them all.

How’s your comfort zone these days?

Memories, Parenting

Our Children’s Memories

January 4th, 2025
Mollie T. Cox

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
Dr. Seuss

My husband and I have spent a lot of time with our children. We’ve said a lot of things to them as well. Which activities and words were important? According to Dr. Seuss, the moments my children remembered.

Unfortunately, those moments are not always the ones I remember. These days, I’m surprised when my memories coincide with my sons’ memories.

“I don’t remember that” was my mother’s worse response to my vivid recollections. I vowed that I would remember what my children shared until I didn’t.

I’ve read that if you ask children from the same household to describe their childhood, you will get vastly differing accounts. My sister’s memories of our childhood compared to mine are consistent with this statement. Now I understand it wasn’t the overall experience that differed but rather our key moments.

What do I wish I had known? To slow down and think instead of rushing responses and experiences. The totality of a vacation is not as important as a remembered moment during a day.

May we all make the most of our 2025 moments.